AN ARCHITECTURAL STUDY TOUR
Classical Provence
May 12 - 23, 2008
Led by Gail Cornell, Architectural Historian


This unique itinerary will give the traveler a sound understanding of Roman Imperial architecture as well as a delightful journey through the color-drenched countryside of Provence. Its great cities hold many of the best-preserved Roman monuments to be found in the world. Our study of the relationship between Roman, Greek, Romanesque and Renaissance architecture will add to our understanding of both the genesis of these styles and the ongoing contributions of Roman architecture and engineering. In most Provençal towns, the grid of the original Roman city is not only visible, it still forms the nucleus of the town center, thus providing an intriguing look at the endurance of Roman city planning. Visits to archaeological sites and museums will provide further context for understanding life in Roman Gaul. Our journey through Provence also includes an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh, Cézanne and Monet. Fields of spring flowers, purple mountains, tile-roofed villages, fascinating markets as well as luxuriant wines and gourmet foods will enhance this wonderful experience.

Monday, May 12: MARSEILLE: Our tour will meet at the Hotel Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port in the Old Port of Marseille. Built by Greeks from Phocaea in 600 BC, the city grew to be France’s second city. Touring of this fascinating city will begin in the late afternoon with a short walk in the historic district. This evening we will gather for an orientation lecture and dinner.
Meals: Dinner

Tuesday, May 13: ARLES: The morning begins with a city tour of Marseille, including a visit to Basilique-de-Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, which sits atop a hill overlooking the city and sea, Musée des Docks Romains, which displays massive storage jars and other artifacts from the Roman port, and the Musée d’Histoire de Marseille. The highlight of the museum’s collection is a 3rd-century BC Roman ship built from 15 different kinds of pine. After lunch, we will drive to Arles, our base for the next six nights. Hotel Jules César.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Wednesday, May 14: ARLES: Situated at Rome’s crossroads between Italy and Spain, Arles was favored with splendid monuments and palaces. Our morning walking tour will examine the layout of the town including the forum area and its Cryptoporticus (permission pending), subterranean barrel-vaulted passageways built as a foundation for the forum. After lunch, our walking tour continues with visits to Arles’ centerpiece, the amphitheater (Les Arènes), the theater and in the ruins of Constantine’s palace, the Baths of Constantine, ending with a walk along the ancient Roman walls.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, May 15: ARLES: Today we will visit the ancient city’s necropoli at Alyscamps and the Archaeological Museum, which houses a superb collection of Roman antiquities, mosaics and award-winning exhibits. After a break for lunch, we will meet again for a walking tour of van Gogh’s Arles.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Friday, May 16: ARLES: En route to Glanum we will view the remains of Roman aqueducts and a Roman industrial water mill. Our first stop in Glanum is the impressive Triumphal Arch, probably built in the reign of Augustus, and the memorial to Caesar and Augustus, built in the early 1st century AD. Well-preserved mythological scenes are carved into the base of this amazing monument. Excavations at Glanum in the 1920s revealed Greek and Roman temples, baths and a small forum. We will also visit the ancient quarries that supplied the stone for Glanum and St. Rémy. Our lunch will be in St-Rémy, the quintessential Provençal village, followed by a walking tour. The day ends at the nearby Asylum of St. Paul, where Vincent van Gogh resided in the last months of his life and where some of his most famous works were painted. We then return to Arles.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Saturday, May 17: ARLES: Today we visit the remarkably preserved Pont du Gard. This three-tiered aqueduct brought water to Nîmes and was considered the crowning glory of the Roman aqueduct system. We will visit one of the last remaining Roman castellum. After a break for lunch in Nîmes, we will spend the afternoon visiting the Roman city, including the Maison Carrée, a perfect little temple built in AD 5 and dedicated to Augustus’s adopted sons, the Temple of Diane and Les Arènes, one of the largest and best-preserved Roman amphitheaters anywhere, the Archaeological Museum and, time permitting, the Tour Magna, part of the city’s early fortifications.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Sunday, May 18: ARLES: Today’s excursion brings us to Avignon, where we will visit the Palace of the Popes and the Romanesque Abby of Montmajour. After completing our touring, we will have the afternoon to explore the many wonderful museums of Avignon on our own. In the late afternoon we will meet for a short drive to Mas des Tourelles, a winery where excavations have revealed a gallo-roman villa and its pottery production facility under the vineyards. We will have an opportunity to sample some of the wines produced using ancient tools and techniques.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Tuesday, May 20: VAISON-LA-ROMAINE: En route to Aix, we will visit the medieval Abbaye de Sénanque, the loveliest of the Cistercian abbeys. Although its famous lavender will just be starting to bloom, the abbey does have other charms, including its lovely cloister. We then continue into a region know for its bories, small dry-stone huts resembling Neolithic structures. These are believed to have been used during times of plague. We will visit the Village des Bories, restored as a rural museum, and continue to Le Pigonnet Hotel in Aix-en-Provence.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Wednesday, May 21: AIX-EN-PROVENCE: En route to Aix, we will visit the medieval Abbaye de Sénanque, the loveliest of the Cistercian abbeys. Although its famous lavender will just be starting to bloom, the abbey does have other charms, including its lovely cloister. We then continue into a region know for its bories, small dry-stone huts resembling Neolithic structures. These are believed to have been used during times of plague. We will visit the Village des Bories, restored as a rural museum, and continue to Le Pigonnet Hotel in Aix-en-Provence.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch

Thursday, May 22: AIX-EN-PROVENCE: We will begin the day with a walking tour of this charming town. Adorned with fountains and squares, the narrow lanes of Vieil Aix hold some of Provence’s finest architecture. Our tour ends with a visit to the Atelier of Paul Cézanne. The afternoon is at leisure before our farewell dinner.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Friday, May 23: There will be one transfer to Marseille airport for our flights home.
Meal: Breakfast